Efficiency and competitive prices has rewarded Medlab Central the Wairarapa laboratory services contract over local provider Wai-Aro. Wairarapa District Health board chief executive David Meates said community laboratory contracts were due to expire and the board decided to review them. "Consultation with the community told us that the status quo of havingthree labs covering Wairarapa area was no longer a viable option. We had two bids for the combined community and hospital contract, one from the current hospital lab, Wai-Aro, and another from Medlab Central, which essentially runs from Palmerston North." Mr Meates said the duplication of systems from having three labs working in Wairarapa meant "everyone was falling over each other's feet". "Medlab has an extensive background in community lab-testing but has also in recent years been providing testing for Palmerston North Hospital." After a panel of healthcare experts and outside contributors assessed both bids, it was decided that Medlab was the best option, he said. "A strong benefit of Medlab is that they are providing a pathologist for the area, which we have never had." Pathologist Bruce van den Heever, from Hawke's Bay Medlab Central, has been appointed resident pathologist, Mr Meates said. "All hospital lab staff will transfer to Medlab which was a condition of whoever got the contract. This was the best way of protecting staff and they have all been offered the same terms and conditions with their contracts." Mr Meates said by having a contract with Medlab Central there will be an extension of services. "Essentially we will now be the centre for Wanganui, Mid-Central (which covers Palmerston North) and the Wairarapa." He said the health board wanted to achieve a price competitive framework so they would get the best return from lab-testing. "We have now got a very competitive price that will help to invest in other healthcare services which we wouldn't have been able to do without the new contract." Medlab Central will work as a much more efficient service and the community will see the benefits with lab results being returned faster, he said. "We were lucky to get two good proposals and both would have been viable. If we weren't able to agree on terms with Medlab then the fall-back option would have still been good." Medlab Central has a contract with Wairarapa District Healthboard for five years, he said.
